3 Northern bald ibis poisoned in Jordan
27/10/2008 00:30:05
Northen Bald Ibis. Credit Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com).
Northen bald ibis Conservation
o The tagging of the Turkish northern bald ibis was a gamble because their ability to migrate after years as a semi-captive population was unknown. But two years ago, two birds escaped capture in the autumn returning to the colony last spring. That gave scientists hopes that the tagging scheme could work.
o The Turkish Ministry of Forestry and Environment has been feeding and housing the Birecik colony in large winter aviaries for about 30 years, to protect the group so that it can increase its size. The birds fly freely in summer and nest on cliffs the species has used for decades. Most researchers believed they had lost the ability to migrate.
o In 2001, conservationists joined forces with the government to help enlarge the Birecik group. There were 41 birds then and the aim was to increase numbers to 100 then consider releasing birds to form a new fully wild colony on safe ground nearby.
o The five released birds were all tagged or ringed, which means the two remaining birds will be identifiable if they return to Birecik.
o The dead birds were found close to electricity pylons by a search team from the Royal Society for Nature Conservation in Jordan and BirdLife Middle East. There was no sign of burning or singeing of feathers and no evidence of bullet wounds despite the presence of hunters in the area. Autopsies by a specialist from Jordan University, found blood in the birds' lungs suggesting they had died from severe poisoning. His findings were confirmed by Dr Andrew Cunningham of the Zoological Society of London.
o The Palmyran group was found in 2002 and is the only truly wild population of the bird left in the Middle East. The species numbered more than 6,000 in Turkey and Syria 50 years ago but development and the use of the farm chemical DDT caused most to die.
o The Palmyran birds failed to fledge young this year but had previously bred successfully. However, when young birds left the colony on migration, many disappeared without trace.
o Two colonies, totalling 400 birds, live in or close to the Souss-Massa National Park, south of Agadir in Morocco. These birds are genetically different from northern bald ibis in Turkey and Syria, and do not migrate far.
o Each tag weighs 15 grams and costs £1,700. It sends location details every two or three days. Lubomir Peske has been involved in the tracking project for four years, tagged the Turkish birds this year and the three Palmyran birds in 2006.
o The northern bald ibis is classified as Critically Endangered by world conservationists and so is part of BirdLife International's Preventing Extinctions Programme. This initiative is aimed at identifying the individuals and organisations best equipped to carry out the work to save each of the world's 190 Critically Endangered birds. These Species Guardians are then matched with Species Champions - individuals, organisations or institutions able to provide the money to enable the work to be carried out. The northern bald ibis has no Species Champion yet. For more information go to www.birdlife.org/extinction
October 2008. Three of the world's rarest birds have been found poisoned in a remote Jordanian desert hundreds of miles from their breeding grounds in Turkey. The three birds, all critically endangered northern bald ibis, were being tracked by satellite after leaving Birecik, south-eastern Turkey, where one of only four colonies of the species remains.
The birds were found close to electricity pylons, 20 miles from the Jordanian capital Amman. Autopsies ruled out electrocution and shooting. Scientists are investigating the source of the poison and think it may have been laid by chicken farmers to kill rodents.
Jose Tavares, the RSPB's Country Programme's Officer for Turkey, said: "These deaths are heartbreaking but the birds may not have died in vain. They came from a semi-captive population and the fact that they left the colony proves they haven't lost their migratory instincts.
Northern Bald ibis in Yemen. Credit Mahmoud Abdullah-MAAR (rspb-images.com).
Satellite tracking
The northern bald ibis is one of the rarest birds in the world numbering just six in Syria and fewer than 500 birds combined in Turkey and Morocco. Its migratory habits have baffled conservationists for years but in 2006, BirdLife International and the Syrian Government, tracked the 3,800-mile round trip of adult birds from Syria, finding new wintering grounds in Ethiopia. But young birds were never seen on migration and scientists fear they face mystery threats on an entirely different over-wintering route.
Northern Bald Ibis Birecik Ibis in aviary. Credit Can Yeniyurt (rspb-images.com).
To solve the riddle, Czech expert Lubomir Peske will tag more Turkish birds next year. These birds will be followed to see if they join and boost the numbers of the tiny colony in Palmyra. "That would be a fantastic outcome," Jose Tavares said.
Lack of breeding
The tracking project has boosted hopes for northern bald ibis in the Middle East because the continued failure of the Palmyran group to increase its numbers would eventually cause its extinction. Conservationists are now more optimistic they can save them and re-establish a completely wild population in Turkey.
Taner Hatipoglu, the Turkish Government vet overseeing the tagging operation, said: "The deaths of the birds is very serious but we are still hopeful because they all proved they could migrate without any parental guidance."
Young birds migration unknown
Sharif Al Ibour of BirdLife Middle East, who found the dead birds, said: "We know where the adults go but it's crucial we follow the young birds' migration route so that we can protect them in winter and help them return to Turkey and Syria to breed."
Dr Ozge Balkiz of Turkish conservation group Doga Dernegi, said: "The people of Birecik have been hugely supportive. Everyone in Turkey knows that Birecik is the town of the northern bald ibis. The bird is cherished and celebrated by all those who live there and is the gleaming symbol of the town council. Hopefully we will now be able to return these birds to the wild there."
